Temperature oscillations in a differentially heated cavity with and without a fin on the sidewall

Abstract

Temperature measurements of the thermal flows in a differentially heated cavity with and without a fin on the sidewall were performed. The oscillatory behaviours in the transition from an initially isothermal state to an eventually stratified interior fluid ambient are characterized. It is revealed that, for the case without a fin, the amplitude of the oscillations in the thermal boundary layer increases as the stratification of the interior fluid increases. For the case with a fin, the temperature measurements show that the oscillations are induced by an unstable fluid layer above the fin. The spectral analysis reveals that the frequency properties of the oscillations are different between the cases with and without a fin.